Lawbringer
by Gehenna79
Summary: What Miranda was doing, and her perspective, during the events from after the mission on Sur'Kesh to the Citadel DLC.


**Lawbringer: A Mass Effect Fanfic**

**Chapter One: A Good Place to Meet**

* * *

A woman like Miranda Lawson was not accustomed to having to wait. But she had been waiting six months, so she reasoned she could stand to wait a little more. She was surprised at her own tenacity when it came to Shepard, which shouldn't really be odd given the tenacity she had when dealing with any other part of her life, any goals that she wanted to achieve. Except possibly with the young soldier known as Jacob Taylor, she had never met anyone that had gotten to her heart as well as Shepard had, and it seemed both a blessing and a curse to know that. A blessing, because Shepard was a man who not only cared for her, but a man she could be proud of, but a curse, since it was revealed that even she, Miranda Lawson, could have weaknesses. Oriana was one enough. She didn't like having more.

Still, she would wait for Shepard, but it was an annoyance, having seen the _SSV Normandy _dock and sit there for about an hour, but nobody come out except for a few maintenance personnel and the Turian, Garrus Vakarian, who had not seen her among the crowds of war refugees fleeing from the Reaper-occupied systems. It only had been three weeks since Earth had been hit, and many other colonies belonging to the Alliance had been taken as well, including Eden Prime, Benning, and Noveria. Nowhere was safe. Not even the Citadel at this point. Only the methodical behavior of the Reapers was keeping them alive for now.

Part of her knew that she should be fighting there, that the fight for all of existence itself was more important than her own sister. But, she wouldn't do that. That would make her no better than the Reapers herself. Shepard was not immune to extreme situations, necessities that other men, like Jacob, would balk at. He had slain the last member of the Rachni species without hesitation, had wiped out a cure for the genophage three years ago, though now he fought for a new one to secure the support of the Turians, and he had even saved the Collector Base so that Cerberus could use its technology to advance humanity to fight the Reapers.

That last bit had put Miranda in danger. She wondered whether or not Shepard had figured that bit out yet, that the Illusive Man's finding of Reaper tech in the base had led to his eventual indoctrination, and the reasons for the irrational attacks on Alliance attempts at helping the war effort. She wondered if Shepard felt pity, or remorse, for saving that base, and felt guilty. Maybe he wouldn't, but more likely he would. Shepard was a man who tried to keep things in the past, but he wasn't perfect.

But Shepard was still a good man, for he took no pleasure in harming others. He never enjoyed any of the tough, critical choices he had to make. He always believed in the greater good, but even understood that the price of achieving the future was a great burden to bear. She wanted to comfort him, once she dealt with finding her sister, who was lost among the stars. In her gut, she knew it was her father who was behind this. There was no other person who would still consider reclamation of such lost property, fit enough to continue his "dynasty" a priority when the entire world was crashing around them.

All these thoughts had been racing through Miranda's mind now, and for the last few weeks, but finally, she put them on hold as she saw the doors of the Normand's airlocks open, and out came Commander Jason Shepard of the Systems Alliance, also a Spectre of the Citadel Council onto the dock. He was wearing an officer's dress attire, blue with the golden stripe. She smiled at that. He was always one for pomp and ceremony, always one to stay disciplined. Even on the S-R2, he had worn a Cerberus' officer's coat, to show who he was. Tradition was something Shepard respected greatly, one of the few things that differed between him and Miranda, the latter always looking towards the future.

"Commander!" she called out, trying not to sound too desperate.

Shepard turned his head, saw her, and his mouth opened in surprise, then quickly reverted into a satisfied grin. He began to walk quickly to her.

"Shepard its so good to..."

She was interrupted by a sudden hand on her back, and lips pressed against hers. She submitted easily, without complaint, and suddenly she was elated, and the worries of the day erased for just a moment. But a moment was long enough. When they parted, she smirked as she looked up at him, "Well, I suppose you did miss me then?"

"Sorry if that was too forward for you," he replied.

"No need to apologize, you made it up for it."

"It's just..when I left Earth.."

"Oh..." she said quietly.

"Destruction was everywhere. I knew that it was bad all over the place. I had no idea if I was ever going to see you again. I tried not to think about it. When I got your message...I hurried as soon as I could. If I go back there again and something happens to me well...I just wanted you to know how I felt...just in case."

She smiled, "I understand. I'm sorry about Earth. If only they had listened to your warnings earlier."

"It doesn't matter now," he said, and they began to walk away from the railing overlooking the gorgeous Citadel vista of Docking Bay D24, "All that matters is finding a way to stop them."

"Does the Alliance have a plan?"

"Yeah. Buts its a long shot."

"Not surprising. Haven't heard about it myself but, I'm sure I'll know when the time is right."

"Indeed. What have you been up to?"

"Well," Miranda crossed her arms and leaned up against a wall, "After you turned yourself in, I resigned from Cerberus. I tried to get to you but it was impossible, and probably it was for the best. I didn't want you to be connected to Cerberus anymore than you had to..what with what they've being doing lately, Shepard."

"I know. I ran into the Illusive Man once. Its obvious that he's indoctrinated...because of me."

_Oh no..._ "You can't blame yourself, Shepard," she put a hand on his cheek, "He knew the risks."

"No, he didn't. He saw the Reapers as a tool to be used...but I pushed him to do that. I created a second enemy for the Alliance, and only with his death, will I be redeemed."

"I..." Miranda didn't know what to say to that.

"When I was on Virmire, I encountered a Salarian, whose mind had been tainted by the Indoctrination. He seemed normal at first, but when I said I wasn't letting him out, just to be safe, he became a rabid animal, trying to claw his way out of the door. Other Salarians...they were mindless husks. There's no way to fix that, so I put them out of their misery. When I find the Illusive Man, and kill him, well...it'll be the same."

"I understand, Shepard. It would be for the best."

"Indeed," there was a long pause between them, then he said, "So, do you want to come with me?"

"I knew you would be asking that eventually," she smiled again, and they went to go sit on some plush couches in the waiting room. She crossed her legs and then said, "But...I have something to take care of first. My sister, Oriana...she's gone missing."

"How can I help?"

"I also knew you would ask that too. But you've got your own problems with the war, and I'm owed some favors here, on the Citadel. Its a safe enough place as any for now, so I'm going to begin my investigation here."

"You have a lead?" Shepard scratched the stubble on his jaw.

"No, but...it might seem silly but I have a gut feeling...that it's my father. Only he would do this at this time, and before I left Cerberus, well, I saw somethings that implicated that he and the Illusive Man might be chummy again. Maybe Cerberus made up to him, about when they took me in, I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

"You can't do that from my ship...Liara's the shadow broker you know."

_The ex._ "If what I have here isn't enough well..then I'll go to her. But..you should really focus on the war."

Shepard sighed, "For now. But know this, Miss Lawson, I'm not above dragging you kicking and screaming, if it means you live."

Miranda laughed aloud, "To anybody else I would slam you with my biotics for that but...I know you mean well, love."

"Stay safe then."

"You know I couldn't promise that...could you?"

Shepard had nothing to say to that. They kissed one last time, and then she left, alone, and on the trail.


End file.
